AFL-CIO Statement Urges More Protections for Working Families During COVID Crisis

The Missouri AFL-CIO issues a statement in response to Governor Mike Parson deciding to, temporarily, waive the one-week waiting period to file for unemployment during the COVID crisis. The AFL-CIO statement recognizes the governor’s actions but, at the same time, says more decisive action is needed to protect working families. Among recommendations by the AFL-CIO, they include: recognizing grocery store workers as first responders, waiving a requirement that unemployed workers demonstrate they are seeking work, waiving another requirement that workers and their families must be healthy to receive unemployment, extending unemployment assistance by 20 weeks beyond the end of the declared emergency and working to ensure access to assistance covering self-employed, freelance and other irregular workers. The Missouri AFL-CIO is a federation of unions affiliated with the national AFL-CIO.